Dreamland
by Illead
Summary: Alice/? fic, where you decide the pairing and I work with that... Every six reviews. In this way, you see plot twists and fun stuff! Taken from four ideas: When Curiosity Met Insanity LiveJournal ; Heart no Kuni no Alice Manga ; Alice: Madness Returns Game ; the book by Lewis Carroll. With credit given, so let it continue if you love it. Minor swearing, death included.
1. Ch 1: Trouble Seas

**Dreamland**

**Themes: When _Curiosity Met Insanity_ (LiveJournal); _Heart no Kuni no Alice_ (Manga); _Alice: Madness Returns_ (Game); and, of course, the book is by Lewis Carroll.

Couples: Let me know what you wanna see, since I'm open to anything (even the Red Queen, but you have to convince me as to how).

Owners: I don't own any of those four inspirations. _WCMI_ is Bree~chan's comic (and a name I forgot, as well as the people who do the art for it). Quinrose, the author, and Hoshino Soumei, the illustrator, own the manga _Heart no Kuni no Alice_. I honestly have no clue who owns _Alice: Madness Returns_, but it isn't me. I wish. Psssh. The book has been claimed already (Lewis Carroll).

~ Illead **

"For a war to be just three conditions are necessary - public authority, just cause, right motive."

**- Ernest Hemingway**

_Chapter 1: Trouble on High Seas_

The office was very stuffy today. Alice wasn't listening, and he could tell. "...Now, Alice, you are quite mad, are you not, you imp of a girl? Why, you should not got to your mind and thoughts at such an age to marry!" He clucked disapprovingly under his tongue, audibly. "Shame, Alice."

Alice huffed. "Nonsense, Doctor, I can do as I please! Why," she got up from the couch. "You beguiling little man! How _**dare**_you! I am 16, a grown woman no longer a child! You impertinent pig, selfish man-whore, cruel sufferer! Moron!" She slammed the office door shut, loudly. Indeed, Alice Liddel was _**not**_ for _**one second**_ to be messed with. No _**sir**_!

The streets were full of busy, anonymous comfort. No one knew her, no one loved her, no one even knew she was even there. Why, in this twilight, her blue dress and white apron looked dull, compared to her long, dark hair. The sky was dim and the lights were grey with age. Soon as the door of Bumby's closed, she took to a sprint home. As she shut her door, it locked out of age-old habit, as well as all windows. The house was dark, totally dark, and she was alone. That is, she had been alone for 11 years, after the house and her family burnt down. Lizzy, Mom, Dad... They were all gone and she was lonely, very lonely.

In return, whenever she slept, Wonderland entered her thoughts. Wonderland, in all its gore and violence, was her aid to the day's misery. London was too smokey and loud for her liking. So it was honestly to no surprise that's what she did that night. Waking up, however, someone was knock-knock-knocking on her door. As she got dressed, she unlocked her bedroom door, going down the creaky stairs. Past Mom and Dad's closed-off room, past Lizzy's closed-off room, past the covered furniture in dusty cloths. She made sure to wear a green dress in the lightest shade, like her blue dress, a white apron on top, grey stockings underneath that, with a tint of white.

Upon opening the door it was Peter White, that 19-year-old boy who liked her, her neighbor. She put her black shoes on, placing the straps just like the opposite foot, and got up again with Peter's help. "Thank you, Peter." She smiled sweetly. "What brings you here? It's... Church day." She frowned at that. Had she locked her bedroom door? Yes, thankfully she had. Alice gave a sigh of relief.

"Well, Alice Liddel, I wondered if you would like to join Will and I into town. He's chaperoning up, you know. We can't be alone quite yet, no?" Peter winked before he offered his arm cheerfully, which she took. "Since it's such a beautiful day, why don't we take a stroll to the shops, Alice?" William White growled to Peter before he led her by the small of her back, smiling behind his shoulder to Will, a smile lightly. "Contain yourself, Will. She's safe with me." Then he frowned, and looked to Alice, smiling again. "Do you like to eat fine food, Miss Liddel?" Alice ran back for a minute, past Will, the hem of her dress touching his hand, before she locked the door, the only unlocked thing in the house, and rejoined Peter. Then she pocketed the key.

"You may call me Alice, silly. I'm a plain girl, really." Alice giggled, a shake of her head, long, wavy-straight hair shaking in waves. "Of course not. I only eat when necessary." She smiled cutely, as Peter saw it, and charmingly, as Will saw it, a longing look in his eyes. "Oh, Will? Are you quite alright?"

"Hn." He muttered, before he, the older brother and, therefore, chaperone, nodded quietly. Truly, underneath his waves of calm, he was mad as a... hatter, yes, a hatter. Yet one couldn't tell, really. Not even Alice, smart and critical as she could be. Peter knew, but they were related, so it didn't count.

"Oh, okay." Alice smiled sweetly to William, then turned to Peter. "Where are we going, Peter?"

William, however sweet she was right now, had to resist holding her close, because this was inappropriate. Instead, he looked around, looking for seven certain people: Boris, a nixxy, cat-like person, uneasy but a friend to Peter, loving Alice deeply; Ace, the sneaky Mafia leader and ultimate killer of the group; Vivaldi, the ever-thinking plan-maker, who didn't not have sneaky tricks up her sleeve, yet would take control if Ace died; the obnoxiously quiet Julius, who never seemed to belong, and was addicted to Alice's incredible coffee; Gray, the one who took care of all their bodies and undertaking needs, yet was irritable due to lack of sleep constantly (therefore he could snap at any time, and is always a trouble to worry upon); Nightmare, the always alert Mafia member; and then there was Elliot, loyal as a dog and the love of carrot foods, just never the carrot, wanted in seven states, fifteen countries, and wished to be drowned in four oceans, and who usually was the sappiest, most harmless one of them all. Yet he only wished he could visibly see them, to protect himself, his brother, and Alice safely. He rejoined the conversation, silent as stone and stoic as a slab of cold meat.

"... A play?" Alice was speaking.

"Not today," Peter giggled.

"Lunch?" Her eyebrows rose

" 'Fraid not, dear Alice."

"... The park? They have music today! A new orchestra's playing!" Alice smiled, hope rising to make her heart excitedly beat.

"No..." Peter whistled contently.

"Then... Where?" Alice gave up asking, yet was ever curious. They stopped walking, making her eyes widen at what she saw.

"Here, Alice! We're taking a fortnight out at sea~!" Peter grinned, spreading his arms out wide, probably not accidentally putting one of his said arms around her shoulders, bringing her closer, causing the girl to blush lightly. Will was jealous, yet looked stoic and calm. Again, the bunny-lover giggled, causing William to shudder.

"Hey, Will?" Alice hesitated, but placed a hand on his arm, since Will stood on the other side of Peter, to her bodily angle.

"Why are we going on a boat?" She was uneasy, so he shrugged. He had no way to comfort her with Peter still here. Yet... Maybe it was a good thing his younger brother was here courting her, and not himself. Peter always wondered how she looked without her dress, and just the white nightgown underneath. He shook his head, knowing he couldn't be thinking that. Yet in his dreams... Again he shuddered. "Will?"

"Aye?" Will's deep voice unsettled her in a good way, as she looked longingly to her more.

"Are you alright?" She furrowed a brow worriedly.

Again that question. Hesitantly, he nodded, Will sighed inwardly. No, he was sick with mad thoughts on Alice in non-appropriate ways. There was something wrong there. Peter was talking. Both listened to whatever it was he was actually saying.

"... On the_ Illead_! It's such a grand boat, isn't it? Took Will and I on adventures with our father and mother a very long time ago, before they passed. It was my father's long ago, and he put it in his will it was to be mine, and now here it is, all mine at last! Isn't it grand, Alice?" Peter wasn't boasting, as Alice truly was impressed. He grinned. "Let's go on board!" He took her hand, and said she looked to Will, flabbergasted. He shrugged, walking calmly on board. Alice, however, held fast to her skirts and ran after Peter. "Aunt Georgina brought your largest trunk on board two weeks ago, so we have all the items you'll need for the journey!"

"Only us and captain?" Alice was confused, yet also hated all transportation. Trains, infernal and inhuman as they were, and boats always sunk like the Mock Turtle in her dreams, where the skeleton sharks always came to eat her out of the jar the boat was in.

"Yeah." Will spoke close to her ear, as she flusterdly looked up to him, blushing madly, before smiling sweetly. Again, Peter took no notice, causing Will to sigh. Alice was his, not Peter's, yet he was too dense to figure that out, in his mad pursuit of Alice. Too bad the girl didn't know that.

Meanwhile, on the filthy street corners, the Mafia gang, the _Thinker's_, were closing in the ship they saw Alice, Will, and Peter board. Luckily, it hadn't sailed off yet. The scarey-cat Boris Airay, caffeine-addict Julius Monrey, the 'march hare' Elliot March, the_ '_Queen' Vivaldi, the hawk-eye Nightmare Gottschalk, and the irritable Gray Ringmarc were together again, for the third time that week. Ace spoke up, eyes red and heart ticking away, like the rest of them. Their clock-hearts were active for one very good reason: Alice. Alice was what they all, including Will and Peter, lived for. All they had to do... Was to get her to notice they all loved her, Vivaldi included. Only, the ones that were qualified for her love were Elliot, Julius, Gray, and Nightmare. Ace and Vivaldi were in for other reasons than Alice's love.

Really, everyone wanted to get closer to Alice, and Boris wanted a free boat ride with his best friends Peter and Alice, whereas Julius just wanted the coffee, knowing Alice would be making it. The only reason that Elliot was there was for the carrot cake he hoped she'd make. Gray got peace and silence, which he solely needed. Hopefully no one needed to be thrown into the ocean. Ace and Vivaldi had a plan up their sleeves no one knew yet, and were all weary of. They were in for more than Alice, because what they wanted was Will. Nightmare wanted to look at the ocean and hang out with Boris and everyone else, save Ace and Vivaldi, who were sadistic. No one save Ace or Vivaldi could stand themselves, whereas the two sadists could easily stand each other.

Alice, for her part, always liked child's things until her eleventh birthday at her sister Lizzy's friend's house, Lizzie bringing a gift for Alice, who was late. The party had been the day before, and when she learned of the fire... She cried, for seven hours straight. Lizzie, her sister, and her parents roasted like chestnuts, even if she never saw them. The fire had been a mystery, and when Dinah turned up without her family, she realized they were never coming back for her. So they sent her to Bumby's, when she lived on the streets, meeting the Mafia gang of the streets, an infamous gang. Not that she didn't mind. They were all scumbag kids, and she became part of their group for four years before a pigeon lady found her and got her new clothing, as well as giving her a room at Bumby's.

Afterwards, Alice became more angry, lashed out or became mad, as it was said by every mother, father, or child at Bumby's. As well as her anger and strange dreams, later being called 'Wonderland' by Bumby himself, she lived off her dowry, using it when she wasn't at Doctor Bumby's apprenticeship, as well as the apprenticeship at the tailor's shop, where she learned to sow and how to live on the streets. Bumby's was how to learn patience. However, she got her family home rebuilt when she was 13, to the influence of the Mafia gang, Ace more like, and she felt she loved each and every one of them, except for Vivaldi, as Alice only liked men and Vivaldi was a woman. Bumby's was on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays; whereas, the tailor's shop was Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. That went every week, switching one every two weeks. She learned memory, in turn, from being an apprentice at Doctor Bumby's, which didn't get her anywhere. Those memories made her sick.

From the time only her cat returned to her, dying in Ace and Vivaldi's sick, twisted games three months later after she met them, there was no more dolls and toys for Alice. No, Alice was eleven and moving on to gangs and memory loss, street living and orphan shame.

Boris, now frowning, realized they were closer to the ship. He knew all of Alice's tale, and worried about her all the time. She had nearly been raped six months ago by Ace, who was masked and hooded, hard to find in truth. Sadly, though, William and Boris freed her, where William carried the disheveled girl home and lay her in bed, or so he told her. Maybe there was something no one was telling him. As they snuck to the bottom of the _Illead_, Boris knew he and Peter would defend Alice from Ace and Vivaldi, and William if he had to. The only one who knew his true past was Elliot, who was sword not to tell anyone since William and Peter White showed up fresh from... Wonderland, a months after the rest of the gang escaped. If only they could free everyone... Even Alice's family, who was still there, on the excuse of a fire. Only the cat had gotten away, and Alice had been safely away from the house.

Though the gang burned the house down to prove it, even Ace and Vivaldi felt bad for Alice, but after that fire... Something happened to Alice, and they only wanted to corrupt her since then. Alice was special to all the members of the Mafia gang, and the _Thinkers_ all truly loved her as she loved them. The boat smelled, but he stayed wide away, ready to attack if anyone said something wrong about Alice's honor.

The _Illead_ sailed once it hit seven, and night covered the area. The captain, an elderly man who was Ace's secret uncle, only known to Julius, a secret he held dear, was keeping an eye on Ace and Vivaldi, as the rest of the _Thinkers_ who wanted to protect Alice felt, discluding the evil people in question. Alice, reading _Homer's Iliad_, thought there wasn't a care in the world. She was safe... Nothing could harm her, right?

How wrong she truly was, and she didn't even know it.

Ace paced in tight circles nervously. "Good God above! What in Wonderland and Hades will get us closer to Alice, Vivaldi?" He growled in frustration, whether sexually or not was debatable. Ace was 18, as was the rest, except for Nightmare, Elliot, and Boris, who were almost 18 in a month, on, ironically, April First. Boris, he could tell in the dark corner, was worried about Alice, and he guessed the others in the dark were, Vivaldi on a wooden crate stocked with meat and Ace pacing around the meat crate, just not near Vivaldi. That was bad taste anyway.

The purple-haired, dark-eyed man, Boris, sat with the lighter purple-haired Julius, who had the prettiest eyes, and the longest, straightest hair of the group since they had formed their gang. Julius sipped coffee and hummed quietly in nervous contempt for Ace and his plan-master queen, hoping he never caught on. Elliot had carrot-colored hair in a small ponytail to appear more manly, which was extremely messy, and Gray looked dull as ever, sleeping, or trying to. Gray was being annoyed, as always, by the ever constantly-moving Boris, and couldn't get a wink of sleep. Nightmare sat next to Julius, Elliot on the other side of Nightmare. Nightmare, however, had messy black hair and never did anything to it, never touching it, and when someone did, it was Boris who made his hair neat and tidy, yet Boris never did that to his own, even if he tried his best, it never turned out right. Nightmare's heavily black eyes and Elliot's blue contrasted each other, like their personalities. Currently, Elliot was annoying him by chewing his nails down his fingers and making his fingers bleed.

"Stop that. Do you want to make them tell we're here, idiot?" Nightmare was alert as Boris, since eh and Boris were always night watchmen, or day watchmen. It was how they contributed to the Mafia gang. "The witch is speaking, anyway. Don't disturb her or our great leader the K_**ing**_, whatever you do." This was under his breath, but still Elliot hear it, and he slapped his hands away gently from his mouth. "Don't bite another finger or I swear I'll _**kill**_ you." This was also in a low tone, but meant for Elliot to hear.

"S-Sorry, Nightmare. Just nervous is all..." Elliot chuckled nervously, low and unheard by Gray, but heard by he others in the corner.

"You know, Ace, Alice makes splendid coffee." Julius was ever-calm, used for making deals. His only weakness was caffeine, which he was supplied with to comply with whatever he was to do.

"A-Alice does? Sounds yucky." Nightmare made a face. His pale face was whiter than the others, yet he was an albino, so without the red eyes, it was hard to believe, but he stayed in shadows more than anything. On the other side of this, his dull voice matched his skin tone perfectly. Flawlessly, really.

"And carrot cake." Elliot smiled quietly. "N-Not that I like carrots or... Anything..." The darkness held his blush, causing Nightmare to chuckle upon sensing it.

"A-Ants! Ants! Boris latched onto someone.

Gray irritable sighed for the 22nd time that day. "Get the fradey cat off me. I'm trying to sleep. Burying those bodies before our departure was hard to get away from the cops by, and I got no _**goddamn **_sleep." Deep down, when he was awake enough, Gray could tolerate Boris, and indeed he felt he was a good friend to him, with a deep bond there, but he threw Boris with more colorful language under his breath to Vivaldi, who then shoved him to Ace, and then back where he was before, perfectly. In sync with everything around them. Elliot jumped, but stayed seated where he was, wisely, Gray nestled back to sleep against Boris's arm in a brotherly love, like a cushion, while Julius sipped his coffee with any notice on the outside, chuckling inwardly at the banter and actions between everyone, Nightmare simply pretended it wasn't there and inspected the ants with fascination, maybe to use later as a joke on Boris, Vivaldi and Ace only sighed in irritation, and Boris shook with fear of the two fearless leaders, in his mind, not outwardly.

"We have a plan." Vivaldi smirked, and everyone drew close.

** I made cookies today, so anyone who finds the hidden refrences, including the ship itself, you may get a free cookie. ^^ Review for it, though. I hope to continue this with support from your lovely readers. ~Illead (x2) **


	2. Author's Note

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**:

Sorry, for the inconvenience… Help me out here. I need an event to put into the stories I'm continuing. Let me know what you wanna see. I've been play writing nonstop and about to finish a Five Act play and start a One Act. So, what do you want to see? Let me know. Thank you…

Love and rainbows,

~Ilead


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